1st Cir News: LGBT Rights, Sex Changes, New Judge and a SCOTUS Ruling

When it rains, it pours. The First Circuit is not usually a very busy circuit to report on, but it happens to have a lot going on right now. Rather than focusing on once case, we thought we'd give you the scoop on the biggest headlines in the First Circuit.

Last Friday, we saw the "last of the firsts" -- that is, the first woman U.S. District Judge for the District of New Hampshire, Judge Landya McCafferty, was sworn in. With her swearing in, now every district in the First Circuit has a minimum of one female judge on the bench, reports The Associated Press. On her view of the judiciary, Judge McCafferty stated, "A judge must function at all times with the understanding that she serves the people in her courtroom, and not the other way around."

Gay Cafeteria Worker Fired

Just days after Matthew Barrett was offered a job as cafeteria director at a Catholic School in Milton, Mass., the offer was rescinded. Why? Because Barrett listed his husband as his emergency contact. According to Barrett, when the offer was rescinded, a school official told him, "the Catholic faith doesn't recognize same-sex marriages and that she couldn't employ me knowing this," reports the New York Daily News. As a result of the school officials' actions, Barrett has filed a claim with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. It will be interesting to see how the Commission rules.

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About U.S. First Circuit

U.S. First Circuit features news and information from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which hears appeals from U.S. District Courts in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and Rhode Island. This blog also features news that would be of interest to legal professionals practicing in the 1st Circuit. Have a comment or tip? Write to us.